Ultrasonographic evaluation of subclinical atherosclerosis in the femoral and carotid arteries of patients with psoriasis

Psoriasis is a prevailing continual inflammatory affliction, carrying a considerable risk of cardiac diseases, sometimes even not traceable by conventional predisposing factors. Detection of subclinical atherosclerosis in psoriasis by ultrasonography is beneficial, and it has been solitarily explored in carotid arteries. It was found to have a weak predictive value, and so the femoral arteries have now been contemplated. This study aims to determine subclinical atherosclerosis occurrence by evaluating the femoral and carotid arteries’ intima-media thickness (IMT) by ultrasonography in patients with psoriasis.

The study was carried out in the departments of dermatology and radiology at Dr. Pinnamaneni Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Foundation for eight months. The sample size consisted of 30 chronic plaque psoriasis cases and 30 controls, matched for age and sex. Patients with comorbidities were excluded. Femoral & carotid arteries were assessed for IMT by ultrasonography.

In our study, the age range was 30–80 years, and a male (56.7%) preponderance was observed in cases and controls. The mean femoral artery and carotid artery IMTs were remarkably greater in cases than in controls, with P-values < 0.001 and 0.04, respectively. The mean femoral artery IMT was significantly more elevated (1.4 ± 0.63 mm) than the carotid artery IMT (1.0 ± 0.62 mm) in cases (P = 0.01).

Ultrasonographic screening of femoral artery IMT enhances the early discernment of subclinical atherosclerosis when compared with carotid artery IMT. Thereby, it helps in the early identification of cardiovascular disease in patients with psoriasis. Keywords: femoral artery, carotid artery, intima-media thickness, psoriasis, atherosclerosis